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VOLLEBAK SPACESHOP:
Copenhagen Stop [Interview]
Copenhagen Stop [Interview]
In a world where fashion and function increasingly collide, few brands embody the spirit of radical experimentation quite like VOLLEBAK. Known throughout the design and innovation community for crafting garments from materials as unexpected as graphene, algae, carbon fibre, copper, and even aerogel, the brand has carved out a niche at the intersection of science fiction and survival wear. Over the past eight years, we’ve maintained a close dialogue with the VOLLEBAK team – through interviews, reviews, social posts, countless emails, and even four different covers featuring their jackets on the front of our fourth printed magazine back in 2018. And yet, despite all that history, we’d never actually met in person.
That changed when the team reached out with a message that was equal parts invitation and provocation: they were about to launch a spaceship – in Copenhagen. It landed right in the middle of Paris Fashion Week, but we didn’t give it a second thought. The event took place inside the headquarters of none other than BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group – one of the most forward-thinking architectural firms on the planet. There, in a private gathering, VOLLEBAK unveiled their first-ever physical “shop” in front of a curated audience of long-time customers, special guests, the full VOLLEBAK team, and their partners from Bang & Olufsen.
That changed when the team reached out with a message that was equal parts invitation and provocation: they were about to launch a spaceship – in Copenhagen. It landed right in the middle of Paris Fashion Week, but we didn’t give it a second thought. The event took place inside the headquarters of none other than BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group – one of the most forward-thinking architectural firms on the planet. There, in a private gathering, VOLLEBAK unveiled their first-ever physical “shop” in front of a curated audience of long-time customers, special guests, the full VOLLEBAK team, and their partners from Bang & Olufsen.
What we saw wasn’t just a capsule or concept store – it was something far stranger, louder, and more ambitious.
The VOLLEBAK Spaceshop – part spacecraft, part mobile concept lab – is a 1,000-kilogram interstellar delivery prototype created in collaboration with Danish audio pioneers Bang & Olufsen and space habitat experts SAGA Space Architects. Fitted with aluminium panels anodised in Bang & Olufsen’s legendary Struer headquarters, and armed with Beolab 5 and Beosound 2 speaker systems that emit up to 120 decibels, the Spaceshop looks and sounds like it belongs on a Martian launchpad. The launch also introduced two new releases tied directly to the vehicle: the anodised aluminium Anodized Jacket, built exclusively for the event, and the Bang & Olufsen Beosound 2 VOLLEBAK Edition speaker – both designed to reflect the tactile and sonic precision of the craft itself.
Inside this machine – among jackets made from hypersonic parachutes and copper strands designed to resist disease – we had the rare opportunity to speak with some of the minds behind the madness. VOLLEBAK co-founder Nick Tidball shared the brand’s planetary ambitions, while Sebastian Aristotelis, co-founder of SAGA and lead architect on the Spaceshop, explained how it all ties back to the future of off-world living. We also caught up with VOLLEBAK’s Design Director, Satish Tailor, who walked us through the conceptual and material challenges of creating clothing for environments that haven’t been built yet. What follows is a story about the bleeding edge of design – and a glimpse into how science, sound, and storytelling might collide when retail finally leaves Earth.
Fasten your seatbelts, we're entering the orbit of ideas.
VOLLEBAK SPACESHOP:
Copenhagen Stop [Interview]
Copenhagen Stop [Interview]
In a world where fashion and function increasingly collide, few brands embody the spirit of radical experimentation quite like VOLLEBAK. Known throughout the design and innovation community for crafting garments from materials as unexpected as graphene, algae, carbon fibre, copper, and even aerogel, the brand has carved out a niche at the intersection of science fiction and survival wear. Over the past eight years, we’ve maintained a close dialogue with the VOLLEBAK team – through interviews, reviews, social posts, countless emails, and even four different covers featuring their jackets on the front of our fourth printed magazine back in 2018. And yet, despite all that history, we’d never actually met in person.
That changed when the team reached out with a message that was equal parts invitation and provocation: they were about to launch a spaceship – in Copenhagen. It landed right in the middle of Paris Fashion Week, but we didn’t give it a second thought. The event took place inside the headquarters of none other than BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group – one of the most forward-thinking architectural firms on the planet. There, in a private gathering, VOLLEBAK unveiled their first-ever physical “shop” in front of a curated audience of long-time customers, special guests, the full VOLLEBAK team, and their partners from Bang & Olufsen.
That changed when the team reached out with a message that was equal parts invitation and provocation: they were about to launch a spaceship – in Copenhagen. It landed right in the middle of Paris Fashion Week, but we didn’t give it a second thought. The event took place inside the headquarters of none other than BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group – one of the most forward-thinking architectural firms on the planet. There, in a private gathering, VOLLEBAK unveiled their first-ever physical “shop” in front of a curated audience of long-time customers, special guests, the full VOLLEBAK team, and their partners from Bang & Olufsen.
What we saw wasn’t just a capsule or concept store – it was something far stranger, louder, and more ambitious.
The VOLLEBAK Spaceshop – part spacecraft, part mobile concept lab – is a 1,000-kilogram interstellar delivery prototype created in collaboration with Danish audio pioneers Bang & Olufsen and space habitat experts SAGA Space Architects. Fitted with aluminium panels anodised in Bang & Olufsen’s legendary Struer headquarters, and armed with Beolab 5 and Beosound 2 speaker systems that emit up to 120 decibels, the Spaceshop looks and sounds like it belongs on a Martian launchpad. The launch also introduced two new releases tied directly to the vehicle: the anodised aluminium Anodized Jacket, built exclusively for the event, and the Bang & Olufsen Beosound 2 VOLLEBAK Edition speaker – both designed to reflect the tactile and sonic precision of the craft itself.
Inside this machine – among jackets made from hypersonic parachutes and copper strands designed to resist disease – we had the rare opportunity to speak with some of the minds behind the madness. VOLLEBAK co-founder Nick Tidball shared the brand’s planetary ambitions, while Sebastian Aristotelis, co-founder of SAGA and lead architect on the Spaceshop, explained how it all ties back to the future of off-world living. We also caught up with VOLLEBAK’s Design Director, Satish Tailor, who walked us through the conceptual and material challenges of creating clothing for environments that haven’t been built yet. What follows is a story about the bleeding edge of design – and a glimpse into how science, sound, and storytelling might collide when retail finally leaves Earth.
Fasten your seatbelts, we're entering the orbit of ideas.
The VOLLEBAK Spaceshop – part spacecraft, part mobile concept lab – is a 1,000-kilogram interstellar delivery prototype created in collaboration with Danish audio pioneers Bang & Olufsen and space habitat experts SAGA Space Architects. Fitted with aluminium panels anodised in Bang & Olufsen’s legendary Struer headquarters, and armed with Beolab 5 and Beosound 2 speaker systems that emit up to 120 decibels, the Spaceshop looks and sounds like it belongs on a Martian launchpad. The launch also introduced two new releases tied directly to the vehicle: the anodised aluminium Anodized Jacket, built exclusively for the event, and the Bang & Olufsen Beosound 2 VOLLEBAK Edition speaker – both designed to reflect the tactile and sonic precision of the craft itself.
Inside this machine – among jackets made from hypersonic parachutes and copper strands designed to resist disease – we had the rare opportunity to speak with some of the minds behind the madness. VOLLEBAK co-founder Nick Tidball shared the brand’s planetary ambitions, while Sebastian Aristotelis, co-founder of SAGA and lead architect on the Spaceshop, explained how it all ties back to the future of off-world living. We also caught up with VOLLEBAK’s Design Director, Satish Tailor, who walked us through the conceptual and material challenges of creating clothing for environments that haven’t been built yet. What follows is a story about the bleeding edge of design – and a glimpse into how science, sound, and storytelling might collide when retail finally leaves Earth.
Fasten your seatbelts, we're entering the orbit of ideas.
PART I: Nick Tidball [VOLLEBAK Co-Founder] &
Sebastian Aristotelis [Co-Founder of SAGA Space Architects and Lead Architect on the Spaceshop]
Sebastian Aristotelis [Co-Founder of SAGA Space Architects and Lead Architect on the Spaceshop]
PART I: Nick Tidball [VOLLEBAK Co-Founder] & Sebastian Aristotelis [Co-Founder of SAGA Space Architects and Lead Architect on the Spaceshop]
The Collaboration Begins
Sebastian Aristotelis: I went to visit the guys because I’ve always been interested in their clothing. I wanted you guys to make something for us. We always do these crazy projects in the Arctic, right? So I thought, what better clothing company to help us design a suit for our next extreme mission?
Nick Tidball: Oh yeah, I remember that. I think I switched the briefing.
S.A.: Then you traveled, and the theme became a spaceship. I thought, why not help you guys with that?
N.T.: That’s how I remember it too. Darren [Darren Roberts, Director of Advanced Projects at Vollebak] really pushed for you to be involved. His thinking was, in 20 or 50 years when this kind of thing becomes normal, you guys would be the ones building it anyway. So why not now?
S.A.: My pitch was simple – no paper mâché. I wanted it to be real. Scratches are fine; they show it's been around the universe and back.
Sebastian Aristotelis: I went to visit the guys because I’ve always been interested in their clothing. I wanted you guys to make something for us. We always do these crazy projects in the Arctic, right? So I thought, what better clothing company to help us design a suit for our next extreme mission?
Nick Tidball: Oh yeah, I remember that. I think I switched the briefing.
S.A.: Then you traveled, and the theme became a spaceship. I thought, why not help you guys with that?
N.T.: That’s how I remember it too. Darren [Darren Roberts, Director of Advanced Projects at Vollebak] really pushed for you to be involved. His thinking was, in 20 or 50 years when this kind of thing becomes normal, you guys would be the ones building it anyway. So why not now?
S.A.: My pitch was simple – no paper mâché. I wanted it to be real. Scratches are fine; they show it's been around the universe and back.
N.T.: You were building things out of metal in this authentic, raw way – for habitats, right? Kresten [Kresten Bjørn Krab-Bjerre, Creative Director for Atelier at Bang & Olufsen] was the same. When we saw behind the scenes at his museum, it was clear this was the perfect partnership. And it all came together easily.
S.A.: Well, Nick is a difficult client – but one of the best. He pushes boundaries.
N.T.: That’s diplomatic.
S.A.: Let’s just say he takes risks. A lot of clients and partners don’t like risk. We redesigned this thing ten times before we landed on the final version. But it ended up being better than anything we’d done before. This partnership really pushed us.
N.T.: Yeah, I would’ve probably settled on an earlier version too, but something wasn’t sitting right until you said, "It’s transported." Then it clicked.
The Collaboration Begins
Sebastian Aristotelis: I went to visit the guys because I’ve always been interested in their clothing. I wanted you guys to make something for us. We always do these crazy projects in the Arctic, right? So I thought, what better clothing company to help us design a suit for our next extreme mission?
Nick Tidball: Oh yeah, I remember that. I think I switched the briefing.
S.A.: Then you traveled, and the theme became a spaceship. I thought, why not help you guys with that?
N.T.: That’s how I remember it too. Darren [Darren Roberts, Director of Advanced Projects at Vollebak] really pushed for you to be involved. His thinking was, in 20 or 50 years when this kind of thing becomes normal, you guys would be the ones building it anyway. So why not now?
S.A.: My pitch was simple – no paper mâché. I wanted it to be real. Scratches are fine; they show it's been around the universe and back.
Sebastian Aristotelis: I went to visit the guys because I’ve always been interested in their clothing. I wanted you guys to make something for us. We always do these crazy projects in the Arctic, right? So I thought, what better clothing company to help us design a suit for our next extreme mission?
Nick Tidball: Oh yeah, I remember that. I think I switched the briefing.
S.A.: Then you traveled, and the theme became a spaceship. I thought, why not help you guys with that?
N.T.: That’s how I remember it too. Darren [Darren Roberts, Director of Advanced Projects at Vollebak] really pushed for you to be involved. His thinking was, in 20 or 50 years when this kind of thing becomes normal, you guys would be the ones building it anyway. So why not now?
S.A.: My pitch was simple – no paper mâché. I wanted it to be real. Scratches are fine; they show it's been around the universe and back.
N.T.: You were building things out of metal in this authentic, raw way – for habitats, right? Kresten [Kresten Bjørn Krab-Bjerre, Creative Director for Atelier at Bang & Olufsen] was the same. When we saw behind the scenes at his museum, it was clear this was the perfect partnership. And it all came together easily.
S.A.: Well, Nick is a difficult client – but one of the best. He pushes boundaries.
N.T.: That’s diplomatic.
S.A.: Let’s just say he takes risks. A lot of clients and partners don’t like risk. We redesigned this thing ten times before we landed on the final version. But it ended up being better than anything we’d done before. This partnership really pushed us.
N.T.: Yeah, I would’ve probably settled on an earlier version too, but something wasn’t sitting right until you said, "It’s transported." Then it clicked.
S.A.: Well, Nick is a difficult client – but one of the best. He pushes boundaries.
N.T.: That’s diplomatic.
S.A.: Let’s just say he takes risks. A lot of clients and partners don’t like risk. We redesigned this thing ten times before we landed on the final version. But it ended up being better than anything we’d done before. This partnership really pushed us.
N.T.: Yeah, I would’ve probably settled on an earlier version too, but something wasn’t sitting right until you said, "It’s transported." Then it clicked.
Space Shipping Concept and Real Materials
S.A.: We ship things all around the world – from the desert to underwater. Our workshop is full of containers. So we had this chat: if we’re going to have colonies on Mars, Earth, and the Moon, how will we ship clothing between planets?
N.T.: Exactly. That’s when your work with the ISS and the European Space Agency became relevant. It just made sense.
S.A.: Right. Imagine someone on Mars orders six Aerogel Jackets. A container is packed, and an engine module picks it up and ships it. The containers are modular and detachable – used for decades, scratched and worn, but still functional. It’s all real metal, real parts. We worked with Bang & Olufsen, and used their anodization baths – the same ones they treat their speakers in. The paneling is all black carbon steel, with visible welds. We gave it a clear coat so it doesn’t rust, but everything is raw and honest.
N.T.: The welding marks are still visible – it looks like a stack of something industrial and beautiful.
S.A.: We ship things all around the world – from the desert to underwater. Our workshop is full of containers. So we had this chat: if we’re going to have colonies on Mars, Earth, and the Moon, how will we ship clothing between planets?
N.T.: Exactly. That’s when your work with the ISS and the European Space Agency became relevant. It just made sense.
S.A.: Right. Imagine someone on Mars orders six Aerogel Jackets. A container is packed, and an engine module picks it up and ships it. The containers are modular and detachable – used for decades, scratched and worn, but still functional. It’s all real metal, real parts. We worked with Bang & Olufsen, and used their anodization baths – the same ones they treat their speakers in. The paneling is all black carbon steel, with visible welds. We gave it a clear coat so it doesn’t rust, but everything is raw and honest.
N.T.: The welding marks are still visible – it looks like a stack of something industrial and beautiful.
S.A.: We also had to balance it. There’s a big two-meter cantilever at the front. If someone climbs on it, you don’t want it to tip. So we put the speakers in the back – each weighing over 60 kilograms. Heavier than my girlfriend!
N.T.: That quote should be on the website.
S.A.: They kind of dangle and defy gravity. We even used the same simulation software we use for space-bound structures – like the lighting system we built for the ISS. Overkill? Maybe. But that’s what we do.
Space Shop World Tour & Future of Retail
[Will this be moved to other locations?]
N.T.: Yes. This is just the start. Copenhagen is our first stop. We love the city and the designers here. But this kicks off a world tour. The website opens today for tickets to Austin, Tokyo, Dubai, London, and New York.
This is like a practice run – what happens if we put a really loud, funny space shop in a city?
N.T.: That quote should be on the website.
S.A.: They kind of dangle and defy gravity. We even used the same simulation software we use for space-bound structures – like the lighting system we built for the ISS. Overkill? Maybe. But that’s what we do.
Space Shop World Tour & Future of Retail
[Will this be moved to other locations?]
N.T.: Yes. This is just the start. Copenhagen is our first stop. We love the city and the designers here. But this kicks off a world tour. The website opens today for tickets to Austin, Tokyo, Dubai, London, and New York.
This is like a practice run – what happens if we put a really loud, funny space shop in a city?
[You’re creating a full experience.]
N.T.: Exactly. There are amazing shops around the world – like ones by Rem Koolhaas – but this is different. People here are laughing, smiling, engaging. That’s how you connect with people. All the best things – art, film, fashion – are brave, wild, funny. Traditional shops feel static and boring. This is the opposite.
[Are you selling tickets to it?]
N.T.: Well, not yet – but in a few years, maybe people will queue up to see it. It might become something people commission. Maybe even a party space shop. Who knows?
S.A.: I hope we get to build another one.
N.T.: You probably will. I’d be surprised if this is the only one. The team had a lot of fun. Imagine building a new one in each city, with local teams. And this is what the future of retail looks like, in my opinion. Not in 100 years – right now. Why are more people not doing this?
N.T.: Exactly. There are amazing shops around the world – like ones by Rem Koolhaas – but this is different. People here are laughing, smiling, engaging. That’s how you connect with people. All the best things – art, film, fashion – are brave, wild, funny. Traditional shops feel static and boring. This is the opposite.
[Are you selling tickets to it?]
N.T.: Well, not yet – but in a few years, maybe people will queue up to see it. It might become something people commission. Maybe even a party space shop. Who knows?
S.A.: I hope we get to build another one.
N.T.: You probably will. I’d be surprised if this is the only one. The team had a lot of fun. Imagine building a new one in each city, with local teams. And this is what the future of retail looks like, in my opinion. Not in 100 years – right now. Why are more people not doing this?
N.T.: I think we’ve just been waiting for this version to happen. The key is finding extraordinary spaces in each city. Bjarke Ingels’ office here is amazing. So in Tokyo, Austin, New York, London – we’ll find a different kind of space that fits.
S.A.: It gives people something to strive for.
N.T.: Yes, completely.
[Can you actually purchase the garments here?]
N.T.: This is a dry run. Most people attending tonight don’t know exactly what to expect. We brought some clothes to touch and feel. Eventually, we want to offer limited pieces at each stop. For example, an Anodized Jacket only for Copenhagen, or an Electromagnetic Shielding Jacket for Tokyo. You can’t buy items inside the space shop itself – but you can touch them.
We waited eight years to get the clothing to this level. Now, it lives up to the environment it’s showcased in.
S.A.: It gives people something to strive for.
N.T.: Yes, completely.
[Can you actually purchase the garments here?]
N.T.: This is a dry run. Most people attending tonight don’t know exactly what to expect. We brought some clothes to touch and feel. Eventually, we want to offer limited pieces at each stop. For example, an Anodized Jacket only for Copenhagen, or an Electromagnetic Shielding Jacket for Tokyo. You can’t buy items inside the space shop itself – but you can touch them.
We waited eight years to get the clothing to this level. Now, it lives up to the environment it’s showcased in.
Mystery Event & Brand Identity
[Are people visiting tonight expecting this?]
N.T.: Broadly, yes – though we didn’t give much away in the invitation. It looked like a piece of 1980s graphic design. B&O are bringing people they love, Bjarke too, and we’ve brought some of our favorite customers. Some of them have even flown in from America to be here.
S.A.: That sounds like a cult following.
N.T.: Yeah, we seem to have one. Especially in America. Our biggest fans are there – tech people mostly. They get what we’re doing.
[Where do you see your brand positioned in terms of pricing?]
N.T.: We work backwards. We find magical materials, then figure out what it costs to build something properly. That puts us in a high price category – maybe like Moncler or Arc'teryx Veilance, but still under Prada. It’s not about being expensive. It’s about making something extraordinary and pricing it based on what it costs to do that.
It’s like Noma – they’re not setting out to be expensive. They’re trying to serve the best meal in the world, and that’s just what it costs to do that.
[Are people visiting tonight expecting this?]
N.T.: Broadly, yes – though we didn’t give much away in the invitation. It looked like a piece of 1980s graphic design. B&O are bringing people they love, Bjarke too, and we’ve brought some of our favorite customers. Some of them have even flown in from America to be here.
S.A.: That sounds like a cult following.
N.T.: Yeah, we seem to have one. Especially in America. Our biggest fans are there – tech people mostly. They get what we’re doing.
[Where do you see your brand positioned in terms of pricing?]
N.T.: We work backwards. We find magical materials, then figure out what it costs to build something properly. That puts us in a high price category – maybe like Moncler or Arc'teryx Veilance, but still under Prada. It’s not about being expensive. It’s about making something extraordinary and pricing it based on what it costs to do that.
It’s like Noma – they’re not setting out to be expensive. They’re trying to serve the best meal in the world, and that’s just what it costs to do that.
The Honest Process and Future Plans
S.A.: It’s funny – every time someone buys another jacket, you just want to do it again.
N.T.: Exactly. This project – what you’ll see in the film – it’s warts and all. We’re three companies who believe in this. There’s nothing to hide. We had fun, we solved hard problems, and at the end we were all proud. That’s what a great experience feels like.
No one’s ever built a space shop before.
But now we have, and I think it’s the beginning of something we can take on the road for years. I’d love to do this for the next decade, because it makes more sense than renting a space on a high street. I told my brother I’d rather build a spaceship. He said, "Space shop." That unlocked the idea – mobile, loud, moving city to city.
Most shops are intimidating, static, and sterile. This is fun, loud, unexpected. There’s music. There’s metal. There are space materials. That’s memorable.
S.A.: When’s the music coming on?
N.T.: Tonight – once the DJ kicks in. You’ll hear it.
S.A.: It’s funny – every time someone buys another jacket, you just want to do it again.
N.T.: Exactly. This project – what you’ll see in the film – it’s warts and all. We’re three companies who believe in this. There’s nothing to hide. We had fun, we solved hard problems, and at the end we were all proud. That’s what a great experience feels like.
No one’s ever built a space shop before.
But now we have, and I think it’s the beginning of something we can take on the road for years. I’d love to do this for the next decade, because it makes more sense than renting a space on a high street. I told my brother I’d rather build a spaceship. He said, "Space shop." That unlocked the idea – mobile, loud, moving city to city.
Most shops are intimidating, static, and sterile. This is fun, loud, unexpected. There’s music. There’s metal. There are space materials. That’s memorable.
S.A.: When’s the music coming on?
N.T.: Tonight – once the DJ kicks in. You’ll hear it.
PART II: Satish Tailor [VOLLEBAK Design Director]
Design Process
[You’ve been in the company since the beginning. How big is the design team?]
S.T.: There are five of us – myself as design director, two designers, a materials manager, and our in-house atelier. We handle patterns and experimental things in-house before we send them to the factory. So we work on shape, pattern, pocket solutions, all of that.
[So all the sampling and first designs happen there?]
S.T.: Yeah, it’s rough but it works. We’ve got two machines – a sewing machine and an overlocker – plus an iron and a big pattern table. We build on a dummy, create rough toiles, then say, "Okay, that’s good enough," and send it to the factory.
[If I remember right, you don’t follow seasons?]
S.T.: Exactly. We try to step away from how the industry operates. We create our own seasonality and collections. If something feels heavier, we might release it in autumn, but we don’t design based on seasons.
[You’ve been in the company since the beginning. How big is the design team?]
S.T.: There are five of us – myself as design director, two designers, a materials manager, and our in-house atelier. We handle patterns and experimental things in-house before we send them to the factory. So we work on shape, pattern, pocket solutions, all of that.
[So all the sampling and first designs happen there?]
S.T.: Yeah, it’s rough but it works. We’ve got two machines – a sewing machine and an overlocker – plus an iron and a big pattern table. We build on a dummy, create rough toiles, then say, "Okay, that’s good enough," and send it to the factory.
[If I remember right, you don’t follow seasons?]
S.T.: Exactly. We try to step away from how the industry operates. We create our own seasonality and collections. If something feels heavier, we might release it in autumn, but we don’t design based on seasons.
We just make what we want.
We’re like magpies – we find the most amazing fabrics and think, "What can we make from this?" We build silhouettes and styles around that material.
The Anodized Jacket and Experimentation
[Let’s talk about the Anodized Jacket.]
S.T.: That came from a speaker collaboration with Bang & Olufsen. We found out we could apply the same anodization process to fabric. It involves a bath with an electric current, where metal bonds to the material.
We worked with one of our mills to develop a stable fabric. The red version was particularly tricky – early swatches were very dark, then lighter in each batch. Every batch is different depending on the voltage.
We added a liner too – a two-in-one design. The liner buttons into the shell and is made from a cashmere wool stitched in a military-style construction.
We’re like magpies – we find the most amazing fabrics and think, "What can we make from this?" We build silhouettes and styles around that material.
The Anodized Jacket and Experimentation
[Let’s talk about the Anodized Jacket.]
S.T.: That came from a speaker collaboration with Bang & Olufsen. We found out we could apply the same anodization process to fabric. It involves a bath with an electric current, where metal bonds to the material.
We worked with one of our mills to develop a stable fabric. The red version was particularly tricky – early swatches were very dark, then lighter in each batch. Every batch is different depending on the voltage.
We added a liner too – a two-in-one design. The liner buttons into the shell and is made from a cashmere wool stitched in a military-style construction.
[But it’s not on display today?]
S.T.: No – we only had one prototype and both jackets were requested. But it looks amazing with the liner. Two colors only for now. Getting the color right is difficult. We might explore more, but it’ll take more experimentation.
[Will they be available commercially?]
S.T.: Yes – we’re taking orders now. Today’s the first time the public has seen them.
Graphene Suit and Material Innovation
[You’re absolutely wild with materials. No one else really operates like this. For example – this suit?]
S.T.: This one’s graphene. It’s a graphene suit [shows his suit].
S.T.: No – we only had one prototype and both jackets were requested. But it looks amazing with the liner. Two colors only for now. Getting the color right is difficult. We might explore more, but it’ll take more experimentation.
[Will they be available commercially?]
S.T.: Yes – we’re taking orders now. Today’s the first time the public has seen them.
Graphene Suit and Material Innovation
[You’re absolutely wild with materials. No one else really operates like this. For example – this suit?]
S.T.: This one’s graphene. It’s a graphene suit [shows his suit].
[Really? It doesn’t look like graphene at all.]
S.T.: Exactly – it's a four-way stretch cotton-graphene blend. Very subtle. We've also got a graphene tie to go with it. We haven’t finished the graphene shirt yet, but there’s a dress shirt in development with a unique cut and yoke design across the back of the shoulders. Clean, minimal, nothing traditional.
[I remember when you launched the Graphene Jacket. After that, I started collecting anything with graphene. Other brands have picked it up too – puffer jackets, shoes – but you were first.]
S.T.: We’re trying to keep the structure subtle. This suit, for instance, has cargo pockets but you can barely tell. Front, side, and back pockets – all hidden. This one’s a prototype. I wore it today even though it’s not the final color. We’ll release it in grey.
[You’re crazy, guys. Glad that we finally had a chance to meet in person and congrats on the launch!]
S.T.: Exactly – it's a four-way stretch cotton-graphene blend. Very subtle. We've also got a graphene tie to go with it. We haven’t finished the graphene shirt yet, but there’s a dress shirt in development with a unique cut and yoke design across the back of the shoulders. Clean, minimal, nothing traditional.
[I remember when you launched the Graphene Jacket. After that, I started collecting anything with graphene. Other brands have picked it up too – puffer jackets, shoes – but you were first.]
S.T.: We’re trying to keep the structure subtle. This suit, for instance, has cargo pockets but you can barely tell. Front, side, and back pockets – all hidden. This one’s a prototype. I wore it today even though it’s not the final color. We’ll release it in grey.
[You’re crazy, guys. Glad that we finally had a chance to meet in person and congrats on the launch!]
VOLLEBAK remains one of the rare brands actively testing the limits of what clothing, storytelling, and even retail can become when freed from conventional gravity – both literal and metaphorical. Meeting the full team in person, and witnessing their ideas about humanity, technology, and space materialise into an actual spacecraft, was nothing short of surreal. It’s not often you see a vision so bold it requires its own delivery vehicle. We’ll be watching closely to see where the Spaceshop touches down next – whether that’s your hometown, your orbit, or somewhere far beyond the edge of the map.
Till then – learn more about brand's tech in our articles via the links below.
Till then – learn more about brand's tech in our articles via the links below.
Article and images prepared by TECHUNTER Magazine.*
Answers: Nick Tidball [VOLLEBAK, Co-Founder], Sebastian Aristotelis [SAGA Space Architects, Co-Founder and SpaceShop Lead Architect], Satish Tailor [VOLLEBAK, Design Director].
Questions, words, photography: Alexander Zabelin [TECHUNTER, Chief Editor].
Special thanks to Vollebak team for a great hospitality!
*All images above, as well as those on every page of this website, are the property of TECHUNTER Media and may not be used, reproduced, or distributed without explicit permission from the source.
Answers: Nick Tidball [VOLLEBAK, Co-Founder], Sebastian Aristotelis [SAGA Space Architects, Co-Founder and SpaceShop Lead Architect], Satish Tailor [VOLLEBAK, Design Director].
Questions, words, photography: Alexander Zabelin [TECHUNTER, Chief Editor].
Special thanks to Vollebak team for a great hospitality!
*All images above, as well as those on every page of this website, are the property of TECHUNTER Media and may not be used, reproduced, or distributed without explicit permission from the source.
